Pay salary or go to jail: adviser to RMG owners

Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hussain (retd) has asked the owners of the Ready Made Garment (RMG) factories to pay all dues of the workers by May 28.

“Otherwise, the owners of the factories must go behind the bar,” he said.

The adviser said this after a meeting with the chief of different agencies at the Shipping Ministry conference room here today to ensure the safety and security of the passengers travelling on waterways ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.

“The owner of the RMG factories must pay outstanding salary and allowances of the workers, otherwise they have to go behind the bar,” Sakhawat said.

“Arrest warrant has already been issued against five apparels factory owners. So, they cannot go outside Dhaka, going abroad is a far cry,” he said.

Sakhawat said, for the last couple of days we have been hearing about the garment workers’ program to lay siege on the Chief Adviser’s residence Jamuna and Srama Bhaban to realize their demands. 

Giving importance to the issue, the adviser said they held a meeting with the garment owners and leaders of labour organizations till 7 pm on Tuesday. 

In that meeting, Sakhawat said the garment owners made the commitment to pay the outstanding salaries of the workers at any cost, even if selling their homes, by May 28.

He said the commitment of the RMG factory owners has made us hopeful. So, we think that the garment owners will pay the salaries and allowances of the workers as they promised. There is no scope to do otherwise, he said.

“Those who are unable to pay the salaries of the workers, they should not be the owners of the RMGs,” he said.

The adviser observed that some of the RMG owners have set up factories for showing fashion. It should not be allowed in future, he added.

The adviser said the owner of the TNZ garments and Mahmud Garments are among the five against whom the arrest warrant has been issued.

The meeting discussed the security steps taken by the government for the safety of homebound passengers on the occasion of the upcoming Eid ul Azha.

The shipping secretary and officials of different agencies attended the meeting.